Welcome to the website for Royal Artillery Quays

Frequently Asked Questions

Well, OK, these aren’t ‘frequently asked’ questions, but if you’re not a member this may help you:

Can anyone join ERAQRA?

Anyone can join ERAQRA, so long as they have an interest in the development. Tenants as well as owners can join: Our main focus is keeping ERAQRA a nice place to live, so it doesn’t matter if you are paying your own mortgage or someone else’s!

What if I don't live on site?

If you own property at the development, but rent it out or spend a lot of time away, then you are also welcome to join in; we think that ERAQRA, and especially the forum, is a good way of keeping in touch with the development and the community within it.

What is your relationship with RAQRA?

The Royal Artillery Quays Residents Association (RAQRA) is another residents association that represents people living in Albert House and Tidlock House who purchased their homes through a shared ownership scheme run by the Moat Housing Association. Our informal name for RAQRA is Moat, and we work with Moat on development wide issues like CCTV and Neighbourhood Watch, as well as sharing information etc. ERAQRA has members from both Albert House and Tidlock House but its core remit is the main six blocks covering 81% of the development.

Why do you need to know about me?

We are required to demonstrate our members exist and that we have 'substantial support' amongst the community we serve. Therefore we do need name, address and ideally a contact email from every member in order to show the management company, and other stakeholders, that a significant proportion of residents and stakeholders rely on us to develop and maintain the RAQ community.

Are you a 'recognised' residents association?

We are in the process of becoming one; members won't notice any change in our day to day activities but we are updating our membership roll as part of the process and you will hear from us, if you are already a member, in due course.

Should I join the ERAQRA Forum?

Yes! You don't have to, but the forum is the best way of keeping in touch with development wide matters and ERAQRA events. You can find lots of useful information there and get involved with discussions and ideas from the comfort of your own home.

...so what's the point of the website?

The forum requires an account, login and password, so it is by necessity closed off from the general public. ERAQRA decided to develop a website as the public face of the development for non-member residents and also the wider world. It is a good way of showing off how nice RAQ is and the people who live there, and it gives us greater scope for growth in the future - e.g. we might merge the forum and website at some point.

Do you have any other ways of getting in touch?

Alongside the website and the forum we put details of block representatives in notice-boards and we also distribute flyers and newletters to let people know about events and to keep them up to date. However, the website and the forum are the primary media we use to keep in touch with members and residents.

How much does membership cost?

Membership costs nothing. ERAQRA has minimal costs and the committee doesn't get paid. We rely on voluntary contributions from members and goodwill from committee members to cover the money that we spend, which last year was about £200.

What if my partner is a member?

If your partner is a member then we don’t have a problem with you sharing a forum account. However, we are democratic and we also like to keep an eye on membership numbers, so let us know you're interested so you can be counted and so you get the chance to vote when the occasion arises.

How can I get involved?

In the first instance join the ERAQRA forum and complete the online questionnaire. From there how much or how little you want to get involved is up to you. You can see on the ERAQRA Committee page a link to what vacancies we have, and we are always looking for people to help on specific projects. If you want to contribute please get in touch.

Do you run the development?

ERAQRA is the residents association for RAQ, not the management company. The development is run by Solitaire, which is a very large property management company. We are the main front for communication with them on behalf of residents, but it is Solitaire that runs the cleaning, concierge service, security etc. and you should contact them directly if you have any immediate problems.

What if I have a problem with my service charge?

We understand why some residents may take issue with their service charge, but for the development to run smoothly the money is needed, and we cannot condone non-payment because it exposes you to the risk of legal action. If you object to the service charge or can't pay get in contact with Solitaire immediately so they have a register of your grievance or difficulty. At present ERAQRA cannot intercede on your behalf in this aspect of the development. We do, however, seek a breakdown of service charges and RAQ budgets so that we can keep an eye on value for money.

Disabled Access

We are committed to providing access for all residents. If you think you might have difficulty then let us know and we will work with you to ensure you can take full part in ERAQRA and the RAQ community.

Data Protection

We only hold the information you give us. This should be no more than name, address, email, and forum account details, plus the content of any contact you've had with us. This information is secure and private but you can see what we have at any time by emailing secretary@eraqra.org